Stylish action

Stylish action is a type of hack and slash that emphasizes combat depth through free-flowing combos, aerial fighting and various weapons, and sports a much faster gameplay pacing. This type of games also feature a system that rewards the player, usually through in-game currency, for playing more “stylishly”, that is using flashy, diverse techniques and abilities, not getting hit, and not using the usable items during combat.

The style’s origins date back to the early 2000s, with the birth of one of the staple Capcom franchises, Devil May Cry [デビル メイ クライ], which implemented a grading combo meter, and arcade-style level design, where in order to progress the player must kill every enemy in a room. This type of gameplay remained popular throughout the 2000s and early 2010s through, most notably, releases by PlatinumGames, such as the Bayonetta [ベヨネッタ] series and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013), the first entries in the God of War franchise and 21st century Ninja Gaiden [NINJA 外伝] trilogy. After its original successes, the genre remained relatively popular, with releases such as Devil May Cry 5 (2019) and Hi-Fi Rush (2023) garnering critical acclaim.